TEXT: U.S.-RUSSIA DEFENSE COOPERATION PLAN

(Cohen, Sergeyev sign plan of cooperation in Brussels) (740)
Brussels -- Secretary of Defense William Cohen and his Russian
counterpart, Defense Minister Igor D. Sergeyev, signed a plan of
cooperation for 1998 between the U.S. Department of Defense and the
Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation December 3.
The plan details the various programs the United States and Russia
will undertake in accordance with prior agreements. These programs
include ministerial visits, contact programs between U.S. and Russian
armed forces, joint activities for public affairs staff, Partnership
for Peace activities, as well as environmental programs and activities
to strengthen educational links between military institutions.
Following is the text of the cooperation plan:
(Begin text)
PLAN OF COOPERATION BETWEEN
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND
THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
1998
Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation on Defense
and Military Relations between the Department of Defense of the United
States of America and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian
Federation signed on 8 September 1993, and the Joint Statement of the
Department of Defense of the United States of America and the Ministry
of Defense of the Russian Federation on Military Cooperation in Areas
of Mutual Interest of 13 May 1997, the sides intend to take all
necessary steps to conduct the following programs, activities, and
contacts in 1998:
1. Visit of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to Russia at a mutually
agreed time.
2. Reciprocal visit of the Russian Defense Minister to the U.S. at a
mutually agreed time.
3. Sessions of the bilateral Consultative Group on Defense Policy in
the United States and Russia at a mutually agreed time.
4. Activities in accordance with the enclosed Contact Plan between the
Armed Forces of the United States and the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation for 1998, signed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Chief of the General Staff of
the Russian Armed Forces.
5. Mutual activities in accordance with agreements implementing the
U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program.
6. Department of Defense support for Russian Partnership for Peace
activities in accordance with applicable agreements.
7. Advice and assistance for the planning and implementation of the
U.S. Foreign Military Financing Program.
8. Agreed activities under the International Military Education and
Training Program (IMET).
9. Program under which public affairs specialists of the Department of
Defense and Russian Ministry of Defense share professional
experiences.
10. Strengthening of the relationship between the U.S. National
Defense University (NDU) and the Russian Military Academy of the
General Staff.
11. Visit of a six-person delegation from the Directorate of the Chief
of Communications of the Russian Armed Forces to the Department of
Defense to evaluate means to modernize communications lines between
the two ministries at a mutually agreed time.
12. Visit of five representatives of the 12th Chief Directorate of the
Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation to the U.S. for a session
of the DOD-MOD Nuclear Weapons Security Group at a mutually agreed
time.
13. Visit of a three-person delegation of Russian military ecologists
to the U.S. to participate in a seminar on appraising toxic influences
on the environment, April-June.
14. Visit of a group of up to three U.S. military ecologists to Russia
for discussions on the issue of environmental contamination at
military installations, January-March.
Additional activities may be implemented by mutual agreement of the
sides.
While participating in the activities under the Memorandum of
Understanding and Cooperation on Defense and Military Relations
between the Department of Defense of the United States of America and
the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and also the Joint
Statement of the Department of Defense of the United States of America
and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on Military
Cooperation in Areas of Mutual Interest, both sides will strive to
find new areas of cooperation and to broaden and deepen their mutual
relations.
Signed at Brussels the third day of December, 1997 in two originals,
each in English and Russian, both being equally authentic.
(signed)
William S. Cohen
Secretary of Defense of the
United States of America
(signed)
Igor D. Sergeyev
Marshal of the Russian Federation
Minister of Defense of the
Russian Federation
(End text)